AWizardInDallas
First Post
Why aren't the values of cursed magic items adjusted for their bad effects?
Cursed Magic Items
- Thread starter AWizardInDallas
- Start date
Jack Simth
First Post
I suspect the OP's refferencing additional curses - the random ones that can be applied to any magic item - you know, Delusion, Opposite Effect or Target, Intermittant Functioning, Requirement, Drawback, or Completely Different Effect, rather than the "Substitute specific cursed item" line. Like a Headband of Intellect +6 that forces the user to take a level of Monk at the next opportunity.Pinotage said:
My gut response (assuming that's what the OP meant) is that they're simply too variable and dependent on what they're added to for what the price change ought to be.
Starbuck_II
Explorer
They are: the designers assumed any DM who creates new ones would adjust as appropriate. Remember that part about specficic race, etc is discount fo magic items (that is a curse).AWizardInDallas said:
frankthedm
First Post
Because curses are not "character flaws" to be used for point based rules raping. Some specific items have discounts and a DM could apply others, but a player does not get to to buy a +5 Sword, cursed in 2d4 ways that do not hinder this player for the cost of a +4 noncursed sword.
Pricing a magic item is not G.U.R.P.S. character creation. The discounts are small because the assumtion is if you are WILLING to buy one of these things, you probably already found a way around the curse.
Pricing a magic item is not G.U.R.P.S. character creation. The discounts are small because the assumtion is if you are WILLING to buy one of these things, you probably already found a way around the curse.
Jack Simth
First Post
Yeah I've always envisioned - curses, drawbacks, requirements, and limitations as being put in place as security measures, not cost control. As such, I generally say that such limits do not reduce the costs to create, just the market value (as it's harder to find someone willing to buy it - the merchant will take it off your hands, sure, but he's going to have to put a lot more effort into making the sale, so it's not worth as much to him). Anything made specifically for sale will not have such things (they want to appeal to a wide audience), but things made for personal use, gifts to specific people, or for use in a particular cause, will (discourage theft, limit the damage from "the wrong person" getting hold of it, and so on). If you want to buy something pre-cursed, you're going to have a hard time finding it... and when you find it, it'll be full market price for the uncursed version (because the merchant had it sitting on his shelf for a lot longer).frankthedm said:
Jack Simth
First Post
Yeah. The Clerics of Kord make really nice stuff for their followers... all of which requires swearing fealty to Kord. Someone else steals it... and it's not useful. Fred makes a gift for his wife... and it's just for his wife, so he wants it just for her, and ties it to her name. Sally makes something for her husband, but doesn't want Becky snitching it away. So it's got a drawback - anyone using it becomes male, and so forth. Even the specific cursed items that do nothing useful for the user could be security measures - you've got a room full of stuff. Some of it helpful, lots of it harmful. Unless you already know which is which, it's really hard to tell them apart without some fairly high-level spells (Analyze Dweomer, specifically). This means a thief in your item shop is in trouble; he can't tell what's there long-term until the shopkeeper finds someone to whom he can sell in good conscience (as none of the drawback matter, or none of the curses apply), what's there for commission, and what's there for general sale.Nifft said:
AWizardInDallas
First Post
frankthedm said:
Hmm, kinda hostile. Anyway I was just looking to price a new cursed item I created, not looking to commit a felony or anything. I have players that are likely to take cursed item to town and try to sell them. I just needed to know the appraisal value which brought up the question.
Jack Simth
First Post
Ah. Well, other than the Bag of Devouring (which can't be made, as it's technically part of a monster), all the specific cursed items have their own price tag.AWizardInDallas said:
For the rest of the curses, figure how hard it would be to find someone for whom the curse isn't particularly meaningful (either because they already match the requirements, or because the drawback doesn't really apply, or because they can simply deal) and cut the price based on that (it takes a while for the merchant to find someone to sell it to). Say, if it's not useful to 50% of the adventuring population, it reduces the selling price by 25% (so instead of that +5 Greatsword of femininity selling for 25,175 gp, it instead sells for 18,881 gp, as half of the adventuring population cares enough about the drawback that they won't buy it, but the other half is either unaffected or doesn't care too much, reducing the price by 25%).
